Now that I have been reading a lot of qualitative research, I am seeing the value of it. I had always looked at quantitative research to be more informational. But, now that I think about it scores can be skewed to look better or worse than what they are. Hicks had stated that society is driven by numbers. In the U.S. , we want things now and we want it quick. So, like she said long projects tend to get replaced by short ones that will have quick results. This is not a good thing. Just like we learn from experiences in our lives, we as teachers can learn from reading qualitative research without having to have gone through that experience. Hicks spent three years on her research and she was able to dig deep. Yes, I may not have the exact situation in my classroom that Hicks has researched, but I can take the parts that would benefit my students.
Hicks used her history to help her understand Laurie and Jake. I can identify with Hicks and what her childhood was like. My parents had “middle-class aspirations and pushed education.” My mom did not graduate from high school and my dad started his own business being a building contractor. My dad put in a lot of long hours and did the physical labor. He continues to put in a lot of hours, but it’s getting harder because of his age. My question is what is the difference between working and middle class? I looked up the definitions from two different websites for each. Here are the working class definitions: Wikipedia-Working-Class answers.com-Working-Class. Here are the middle class definitions: Wikipedia- Middle-Class answers.com-Middle-Class. I look at my parents now and see them as middle class because they have worked hard. But, I still see a lot of working class values. My parents work constantly and do not take breaks. Depending if you are in the education or political arena, the definition of the two may vary. It also appears the definition is changing do to the fact that there are not as many manual jobs. So, my point to all this is, if I have a child who appears to be middle- class in my classroom, they may be dealing with working class values. Knowing this discourse may help me to see how, I can help them read and write.
Last year, I would say half of my class was working -class and the other half was middle-class. But there was also a segment of students who were teetering between the two classes. One thing Hicks pointed out was that Laurie and Jack wanted to fit in and find the “we of me”. I had a student last year who seemed to focus on what other students were doing and it made him appear to always be a step behind when he had to follow directions in class. It could appear that he is ADD, but Hicks read writings of philosopher Martha Naussbaum, and she realized feeling can guide a teacher. Other teachers would ask me, do you think he is ADD when I would ask for advice. But, my gut would tell me no. From reading Hicks so far, I think Laurie or Jake’s story may help me, if I see students with some of the same discourses.
One thing I found interesting was that Hicks had stated she refused “to embrace a particular methodology as solution” for Laurie and Jake. As teachers, our counties are telling us the best new way to teach. A lot of times, teachers think we have to stop everything we are currently doing and embrace the new way in its entirety. We end up feeling just beat down. I think we should look at these new methods or old methods just reinvented, and take only the parts that will help our students. This is what it seems Hicks is trying to say. I also think just because one method seems to work for one students from a similar discourse, it doesn’t me it will work for all. Each person has many discourses, so to say that even within the working- class all the children are very similar is erroneous. People are complicated. One size does not fit all.
Trish Edwards
Comments (6)
I don't know what county you teach in, but I completely feel the same way you do about new programs. It seems we are being inundated with what is new and improved lately, and while I am open to change, I also think we should look at a program and take from it what our children need. It only makes sense to make our programs fit our students not the other way around.
I also have had students in the past, three this year, where ADD or ADHD had been a major topic of conversation and thought. I do think that as teachers, once you have some experience, you do have to pay attention to your "gut" feelings about your students. You spend a lot of time with them each day, and for an outsider it may be easy for them to look at a child and say that the behaviors they have are definitely ADD or ADHD related, but you may know more about the child's situation. Sometimes I think it is too easy to blame inattentiveness on a disorder and not try to figure out what is at the heart of the problem and work on fixing it.
-Elizabeth Norwood
Posted by Elizabeth Norwood | June 19, 2010 4:27 PM
Posted on June 19, 2010 16:27
Trish,
I really enjoyed reading your post. You made some wonderful points that I did not think of when I was reading through the two chapters. When I think about my classroom this past year I would have ranked most of my students as being in middle class families. Then, when I read your definitions of middle class and working class, I realized that some of my students come from working class families, but many of them come from middles class families with working class views. I never really thought about how the mixture of the two classes could occur, but it is very true. I also liked your point about how there is not one method, book, teaching strategy, etc… that can meet the needs of the different discourses represented in our classrooms. I too feel like in education we are constantly being shown the new and improved way of doing things. We as teachers have to get to know our students and then make the decision about what works best in our classroom. It will probably be a little different each year, because we get a new group of students who come with a variety of discourses.
Posted by Emily Rhoney | June 19, 2010 6:30 PM
Posted on June 19, 2010 18:30
Trish,
A common story about the former superintendent in my county is that he would strike up a conversation with someone on an airplane and when he got back in the office, he would be trying to push some new program that he learned about from talking with that person. All I can say is that he must have taken a LOT of trips because it seemed like there were new programs coming down the pipeline every few months. What is really frustrating is that not enough time is often given to fully implement a particular program before something else is in the works. And it seems that things are always being added without anything being taken away. I believe that is a common complaint among teachers, no matter what the school district. Sometimes, it seems like the school districts do not want to rely on the professional judgment of the people they hire.
One thing your post made me think of was the list of questions we had to answer for Dr. Groce's class last weekend. I've forgotten the exact wording of the particular question but it had something to do with who affects what and how you teach. From what I heard in class, most people ranked the students as first and parents as second. Administrators came in third, at least. I think most of us out in the field try to do the best with what we're given. We often shut the door and do what we know works.
Clyde Rice
Posted by Clyde Rice | June 20, 2010 12:50 PM
Posted on June 20, 2010 12:50
Trish, I too am enjoying the qualitative versus quantitative research. This type I can relate to so much better and as you mentioned even if the situations aren't exactly the same, we can use the research for our own personal situations.So much of this information can be applied to so many situations. We just need to really think about the results and the implications and at least in my case, so much became so much clearer when I thought about my own class, full of so many different backgrounds. It has taught me to be more aware and that's a gift.
Posted by Linda Bohland | June 20, 2010 1:34 PM
Posted on June 20, 2010 13:34
Trisha,
I also had to look up the differences between working class and middle class. I really had no idea. I am glad I did because it helped me understand the text better.
I would like to piggy-back on what others have mentioned. I feel like I never get a chance to perfect a new teaching strategy before I am sent to another workshop with a whole new set of ideas. It becomes overwhelming and I grow frustrated. The best thing about graduate school is that all the instructors seem to be on the same page!
Posted by Karen Chester | June 20, 2010 3:06 PM
Posted on June 20, 2010 15:06
Trish,
You are so right about the county trying to teach us the best way to teach our children. Then they change their mind every few years and decide that something else is better. Now, keep in mind that they rarely ever come into a classroom and meet the children they your teaching affects, and they are not away of the differentiation that occers on a daily basis to meet the students' needs. I think that Ms. Hicks is correct by also saying the middle class sometimes place their children in the better schools like Montessori. I wouldn't necessarily say they are better- but more child centered. There is something to be said about education when it focuses on mainstreaming all children. Sometimes I feel like I am a baker trying to make perfect cutout cookies. I try to "buck" the system by teaching reading through novels and not the reding street text that I am given to use. I think that we have become to focused on teaching everyone the same thing that too many kids are getting lost or disinterested along the way. Everyone is saying that teaching will change back to every child matters and I hope I see it soon. Sometimes it is disheartening to see children who have made so much growth through the year get their end of the year test scores back and feel so disappointed that they did not measure up to their peers. Often I will cry with them.
Amy Reep
Posted by Amy Reep | June 20, 2010 6:34 PM
Posted on June 20, 2010 18:34